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Post radiotherapy changes in breast

Elaneh
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Hi all,

Hope you're all doing well. i've been doing really well after radiotherapy other than a tiredness I've never felt in my life before and some pain and a pre-existing issue in my left shoulder/arm has got a bit worse. overall treatment has gone so well after switching to the Royal Marsden.
 

However, over the last couple of months i've had significant shrinkage in the radiated breast so the surgeons, beautiful work in matching the two boobs has been undone somewhat, and have a long sausage shaped lump again, which I don't think is oedema because it began months after radiation and after overtook, she had softened again. There are a few small lumps that really hurt to  touch but they are near the scar. I am wondering if this is necrosis or fibrosis and if anybody has had a similar experience?

I don't want to bother her hospital unnecessarily and I don't think cancer could possibly have reoccured so rapidly or with ongoing weight gain!, but if it's a possibility of something of like fibrosis, I wondered if that made some treatment, especially as I'm getting more and more pain. 
 

thanks 

elane 

  • Hello Elane and thanks for posting, 

    I can understand you asking, but I think the only way to find out for sure what is causing these lumps is to get an opinion from your specialist team, so that is what I suggest.  I think they would expect you to get in touch about something like this to ask for their input. 

    As far as I am aware radiation induced fibrosis can start to crop up from about 4 months or so after finishing radiotherapy. Fibrosis can cause structural changes to the breast such as hardening, but I don't know how much shrinkage it might be expected to cause by now. If it occurs, I am not sure if fat necrosis would usually happen this soon or a bit later. So I think it is best to talk this over with your breast team as it makes sense to get these lumps properly assessed. I hope you can get in touch with them easily and they can help.  

    Feel free to give us a call if you want to talk anything over, our number is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and we are around from 9-5, weekdays.

    Best wishes, 

    Julia

  • Offline in reply to CRUK Nurse Julia

    Thanks I did and am going to have an ultra sound. Hate to waste their time but on the other hand hoping I am!! 

  • Offline in reply to Elaneh

    My wife had the exact same lumps as yourself and they turned out to be oil cysts from the surgery or radiotherapy. Kinda scary as she was never really warned about things like this appearing. Turns out it's common.

    But yeah, always get a new lump checked immediately, even if it feels harmless. Better to be told it's nothing over and over again, than to sit on it and be told it's something else.

  • Offline in reply to ProfBaw

    Thanks hope her recovery continues to go well 

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